The Mayor of Urhoboland, Eshanakpe Israel a.k.a Akpodoro-led National Coalition of Niger Delta Ex-Agitators (NCNDE-A), has attacked former President, Goodluck Jonathan, for allegedly endorsing former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, for 2023 presidential elections.

The Nigerian media is reporting that Jonathan had during a prayer session at a consultation visit to him by Governor Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa, referred to his visitor as the incoming Vice President, a statement Akpodoro said was “reckless and in bad taste.”

Akpodoro expressed regrets that a highly rated Jonathan could bring himself down so low to the point of endorsing the candidature of a Fulani man to succeed another even when all well-meaning Nigerians from the northern extraction overwhelming are against Atiku’s emergence.

The Gbaregolor, Ughelli South Local Government Area-born youth leader, wondered “why the former President chose to sustain his insult to the collective sensibilities of Nigerians.”

He added that by endorsing another Fulani man, the former leader undermined the ambition of southern Nigeria.

He said, “Jonathan goofed badly, little wonder he lost the election as sitting President due to gross indiscretion on the part of the lecturer-turned-politician.”

“Now we know better why the former President lost his re-election in 2015, inconsistency and indiscretion are huge challenges to Mr Jonathan because those words make no meaning to him.

“Rather than endorse Okowa, His Excellency stated that Mr Jonathan should throw his weight behind Governor Nyesom Wike’s insistence on the resignation of the National Chairman of the PDP and the governor of Delta State should not be endorsed by anyone for sake of equity and brotherhood, noting that the Governor of Rivers State is the only leader capable of leading the heterogenous south-south region to the promised land,” he said.

The coalition expressed the belief that Governor Wike is the only voice in the wilderness opposed to the perfidy and disgrace meted out by the PDP as “championed by the duo of Atiku and Okwa” to Southern Nigerian by “arm-twisting the region” over the ticket of the major opposition party which he described as stolen.

“In Wike, Southern Nigeria has a voice although, lonely for now, but in due course, his voice will arouse actions against the enemies of peace in Nigeria. We refuse to negotiate the return of power to the South, we refuse the perfidy and the arrogance of one man against the overwhelming majority of Nigerians, we won’t pander to Okowa’s grandstanding and inordinate ambition, we won’t allow him to eat his cake and have it, nothing can more insulting.

“Nigerians saw Jonathan’s grandstand for the APC presidential ticket prior to the party’s national convention, in the spirit of what he reportedly did now, he kept Nigerians guessing in a hide and seek manner then, an act peculiar to the PDP. May God don’t allow the umbrella party rule Nigeria again.

“Jonathan should withdraw those statements believed to be an inadvertent and unwitting endorsement of Okowa. Mr Okowa will never be Vice President in Nigeria because what we beg God for in the South is the President and not a Vice President,” the vociferous Mayor stated.

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